Happy Girls Day Recipe!

March 3rd is called Hinamatsuri ひな祭り in Japan and is a day to celebrate female children, and pray for their continued health and happiness.

Young girls often put on their best kimonos and visit their friends’ homes.

It’s common for Japanese homes with girls to put up elaborate doll displays of the Empress and Emperor and their entourage -these can be family heirlooms passed down through generations. They’re called hina-ningyou ひな人形.

Superstition says if you leave your dolls up for too long the girl won’t get married. 

In my feisty feminist 20s (I’m in my feisty feminist 40s now) – I deliberately left my dolls up in rebellion of this superstition and to protest the limited idea girls need marriage in order to be happy. 

I’m here to report the superstition doesn’t work and I’m now married.

And also that I’m happy now, AND I was happy before marriage too;-)

Families with girls also eat a special rice dish called chirashi zushi, clam soup and strawberry daifuku (a tasty glutinous rice-based sweet)for good luck and prosperity. 

If you’ve got girls in your family and would like to celebrate Girls Day and welcome in good luck, here’s a healthy chirashi zushi recipe.

Chirashi means ‘scattered’ – and you can make it with various ingredients.

It’s the ultimate (and original!) poke bowl that makes a tasty, light dinner or weekend lunch.

TIME:

25 mins prep; 35-40 mins cooking

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of organic, short-grain brown rice, rinsed (optional: soak for 4 hours to overnight)
• 1⁄3 cup rice vinegar
• 1½ tsp rice malt syrup
• 2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 400 gm skinless, sliced sashimi fish (try trout, salmon or tuna)
• 2 radishes, cut into julienne
• 1/2 lotus root* (symbolises having a good foresight for your future)
• 1 cup of French beans (symbolises being able to work healthily and earnestly)
• 1 tablesoon of umeboshi paste** (salted plum)
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup salmon roe (about 1 small jar)
• few drops of sesame oil
• 3 tsp roasted sesame seeds
• toasted nori, shiso leaves (***optional) and pickled ginger, to serve
• wasabi and light soy sauce, to serve

METHOD

• Cook brown rice (see recipe here) until tender (35-40 minutes), then drain well and transfer to a bowl. 
• Add vinegar, rice malt syrup, ginger and umeboshi paste and stir rice gently until thoroughly mixed. 
• Set rice aside, stirring occasionally, until cool (15-20 minutes)
• Cut lotus root into quarter slices and boil until it’s soft
• Boil French beans and cut diagonally and thinly
• Divide rice among bowls, top with sashimi, radish, lotus root, spring onion, roe, sesame oil to taste, sesame seeds, toasted nori, shiso and pickled ginger. 

Once presented beautifully, mix ingredients and flavours as desired.

Serve with wasabi and tamari sauce.

*lotus root = available fresh and frozen from good Asian food stores.

**umeboshi paste= salted plum paste. This is used quite often for it’s medicinal qualities in Marcrobiotic cooking. You can also use a whole umeboshi plum you’ve mashed up in a suribachi (or mortar and pestle)  – available from good health stores and good Asian food shops. 

***shiso leaves= available from good Asian food stores.